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On Saturday, Nov. 22, Log Cabin Village will offer photos with a historic St. Nicholas from 1-4 p.m. This is a great option for those who are looking for out-of-the-ordinary Christmas pictures. No reservations are required. Cost is regular Village admission plus a $5 fee for the photo and holder.

Also on Saturday, the Village will hold a candle-dipping workshop from 1-4 p.m. Cost is regular admission plus a $3 fee. This event will repeat on Sunday, Nov. 23.

Feb. 2 is known as Groundhog Day to most people – but in Fort Worth, you can celebrate Prairie Dog Day at the Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge. Come out from 1:30 to 3 p.m. and learn about prairie dogs. Participants will hike through the animals’ habitat, visit with the animals and learn about the land. This is a FREE event, but admission to the Nature Center is required. Admission is $5 for adults ages 13-64, $2 for ages 3-12, free for ages and 2 under, $3 for seniors 65 and older. People with military IDs receive a $1 discount.

On Saturday, March 23, Michaels craft stores will host an Easter craft workshop for kids from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. This week, kids can make an Easter egg mosaic. Sessions start every half hour, and the cost is $2 per child.

Bring the kids by Sears in Ridgmar Mall this Saturday, July 21 for a craft workshop from noon to 3 p.m. Kids ages 4-10 will be able to make a mini golf game! The cost for the craft kit is $5 and includes the project, goggles and an apron. There is a limit of 40 kids per workshop, so be sure to RSVP online to secure your spot.

Ridgmar Mall is at 1800 Green Oaks Rd. in Fort Worth. This event is also happening at Hulen Mall, Vista Ridge Mall in Lewisville, North East Mall in Hurst, and more spots. See all locations here.

All during Spring Break week (now through March 17), the Fort Worth Museum of Science and Historywill offer half-price admission after 4 p.m. Tickets are normally $14 for adults and $7 for kids. During this week, you can also get free parking at the museum – the lot directly south of the museum, at the northeast corner of Harley and Montgomery, will be free. A limited amount of spaces are available in the lot.

This is the first of a (hopefully) weekly series on fun, kid-friendly, free and cheap things to do in Fort Worth and nearby.

A few weeks ago, my kids and I had the pleasure of visiting Celebrations Indoor Adventure, an indoor playscape, courtesy of a great deal from Mamasource! This sizable playplace is one of Fort Worth’s hidden gems, and it’s a great way to let your kids burn off some energy – without burning up in the sun.

The front of Celebrations doesn’t look like much when you first arrive. In fact, I hesitated to go in, because it looked so nondescript (I was afraid I had the wrong building). But when we stepped inside, we were greeted with a large, colorful space, packed with activities for kids of all ages. The centerpiece of the room is definitely the bounce house, as seen here:

Along the edges of the walls are lots of play “stations.” There’s one station devoted to dress-up (complete with hats, costumes, and wigs), another to space-adventure play, and even a construction-themed center. My son loved “working”:

Then there’s a stage with toy musical instruments, so your budding performer can show off:

If your kids are small enough to fit into Little Tikes cars, they can zoom around the track.

If your kids are older, they can enjoy the air hockey tables. Even my 5-year-old liked it.

And one of the things that I really like about Celebrations – they don’t force you to buy high-priced food from them. You can bring in your own food and drinks and consume it at their tables. In fact, they really don’t have much for sale besides Cokes, so I’d definitely recommend bringing something if you plan to be there a while.

Now let’s get down to details. Celebrations also hosts birthday parties, so they’re not open all the time to the public. Open Play hours happen this summer Tuesday through Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. After summer is over, the play hours end at 2 p.m. It will set you back $7.50 plus tax per child, or $6.50 + tax if you bring 2 or more kids. See their birthday party rates here.

Celebrations Indoor Adventure is located at 4014 Old Benbrook Road in southwest Fort Worth.

I did not receive any compensation from Celebrations, or anyone else, for this post. All opinions are mine.